Spring operated rapid-fire toy gun



Dec. 2, 1952 c A ROCK SPRING OPERATED RAPID -FIRE TOY GUN 2 SHEETS-SHEET1 Filed Aug. 15, 1950 INVENTOR; Ware/me v9. 120 BY Dec. 2, 1952 c. A.ROCK SPRING OPERATED RAPID-FIRE TOY GUN 2 SHEETS-SHEET 2 Filed Aug. 15,1950 INVENTOR. C /aramre M7 220 OK Arman/5y Patented Dec. 2, 1952 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE 2,619,949 SPRING OPERATED RAPID-FIRE TOY GUNClarence A. Rock, Costa Mesa, Calif. Application August 15, 1950, SerialNo. 179,580

8 Claims.

This invention relates to a toy gun and more particularly to a toy rapidfire gun by which pellets may be projected in succession toward atarget.

The primary object of the invention is to afford entertainment andamusement, and to simulate the action of a conventional rapid fire ormachine gun.

Another object is to facilitate the rapid loading of the magazine of thegun and to assure the forceable propulsion of pellets through the barrelof the gun.

The above and other objects may be attained by employing this inventionwhich embodies among its features an elongated barrel, means for feedingammunition in the form of pellets or spheres in succession into one endof the barrel, spring arms mounted for rotation adjacent the end of thebarrel in which the pellets are received, said spring arms entering thebarrel in succession for forceably propelling the pellets through thebarrel, and means in the path of movement of the spring arms for causingthem to flex prior to their entrance into the barrel whereby the pelletswill be forceably struck by the arms and thereby be propelled throughthe barrel.

Other features include means for rotating the spring arms about a commonaxis to cause them to enter the barrel, trigger released, means adjacentthe barrel and lying in the path of the spring arms for controlling therotation of the spring arms, and causing them to flex prior to theirentry into the barrel.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a top plan view of a toy gun embodying the features of thisinvention, certain portions being broken away more clearly to illustratecertain details of construction,

Figure 2 is a side .view of the toy gun illustrated in Figure 1 havingcertain portions broken away to more clearly illustrate certain detailsof construction,

Figure 3 is a horizontal sectional view taken substantially along theline 33 of Figure 2,

Figure 4 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along the line4--4 of Figure 2,

Figure 5 is a vertical sectional view taken substantially along the line55 of Figure 2, and

Figure 6 is a fragmentary sectional view taken substantially along theline 6- 5 of Figure 3.

Referring to the drawings in detail a gun designated generally I0 isprovided with a housing I2 which carries adjacent one end a hand grip I4and mounted on the housing I2 adjacent the end thereof remote from thehand grip I4 is an elongated tubular barrel I6. This barrel is providedadjacent the end thereof nearest the housing I2 with an elongatedlongitudinal slot I8 which opens outwardly through the adjacent end ofthe barrel as will be readily understood upon reference to the drawings.

Supported on the housing I2 adjacent the slotted end of the barrel I 6,is an annular tubular magazine which comprises an annular tubular member22 which opens adjacent one end laterally as at 24 into the slotted endof the barrel I6. This tubular body 22 is provided adjacent the endthereof remote from the end which opens into the barrel It with anelongated opening 26 through which pellets, in the form of spheres 28are introduced into the magazines 2B. These pellets or spheres 28constitute the ammunition for the gun as will be readily understood uponreference to the drawings. Formed in the annular tubular body 22 andopening through the inside thereof is an elongated slot 30 for thereception of the end 32 of a spring arm 34 which projects radially froma coil spring 35 which extends through an opening 38 in the housing I2and is anchored to said housing by means of an extension arm 48. Thespring 36 is tensioned to cause the arm 34 to move the end 32 thereofwithin the tubular housing 22 about the axis of the spring 36 toward theend of the housing 32 which communicates with the barrel IE, orcounterclockwise as illustrated. It will thus be seen that pellets 28contained within the magazine 20 will be urged by the end 32 of the arm34 to move through the magazine 20 toward the discharge opening 24thereof and hence into the barrel I 6.

Mounted for rotation within the housing I 2 below the slotted end I8 ofthe barrel I6 is a shaft 42 upon which a drum 44 is mounted to rotatewithin the housing. A volute spring or clock spring 46 is containedWithin said drum and is anchored at one end to the shaft 42 while itsopposite end is anchored to the drum 44 so that when the shaft isrotated and the drum 4c is held stationary, the spring 456 will becomeloaded so as to exert turning effort against the drum M. A suitableratchet wheel 48 is secured to the shaft 42 adjacent one side of thehousing I2 and is engaged by a pawl 58 which is secured to the housingI2 in any suitable manner so as to prevent the shaft 32 from turningunder the influence of the spring 48. As illustrated in Figure 4 theshaft 42 projects through one side of the housing and is provided witha, crossed handle 52 by means of which the shaft 42 may be rotated towind the spring 55. Fixed to the drum 44 in any suitable manner is aspur gear 54 carrying a hub 56 to which radially extending springstriker arms 58 are secured in any suitable manner. These arms areadapted to move with the hub 56 and gear 5a in a circular path whichpasses through the slot [8 in the barrel It so that the ends of thespring arms 58 remote from the hub 56 will engage the pellets 28 tosuccessively project them through the barrel i In order to hold the drumid and hub 55 against rotation under the influence of the spring 46after it has been wound I provide a brake mechanism designated generally(if! which comprises a pinion 52 which is mounted for rotation on a stubshaft 64 which is carried by the housing l2 and lies along an axisparallel with the axis of the shaft 52. The pinion 62 ha meshingengagement with the gear 54 so that when the drum i l and hub as arerotated under the influence cf the spring 55, the pinion t2 will bedriven. Carried by the pinion t2 and extending laterally therefrom is aV-shaped brake drum 5% which lies in the path of 53 so that as the arms53 are rotated under the influence of the spring it, they will be flexedso as to cause them to enter the slot 18 in the barrel it with greatrapidity and strike the pellet in said barrel with considerable force soas to propel it through the barrel. Carried by the brake drum 6t andextending laterally therefrom on the side thereof remote from the pinion$2 is a pin 68 upon which is pivotally supported an arm it which carriesat its end remote from the pin 68 a brake shoe l2. This brake shoe moveswithin and engages the inner surface of a brake drum it carried by thehousing l2, so as to frictionally engage the drum Ti l as the pinion 62is rotated to serve as a governor by which the speed of rotation of thepinion and hence the speed of rotation of the gear 54 is retarded.

Carried by suitable brackets '15 supported by the housing i2 is afulcrum pin is which lies along an axis parallel with the axis of theshaft 6t, and coiled about said pin '18 is a spring 89. spring 3% isprovided at one end with a leg 82 which extends laterally therefrom andbears against the top of the housing 52 while the pposite end of thespring is provided with a leg 34 which extends laterally therefrom andterminates at its end remote from the spring in a brake shoe 8% whichlies in the \/shaped brake drum 66 as illustrated in Figures 3, 5 and 6to hold said drum against rotation under the influence of the spring it.Formed on the end of the brake shoe 85 remote from the arm 3 is a curvedextension which forms a trigger as which extends through a slot 5%]formed in the housing I2 and lies near the handle or grip M to beengaged by the fingers of a hand holding the grip is so as to releasethe brake shoe 8-6 from engagement with the brake drum as and permit thepinion E32, gear 8 3 and hub 55 to rotate under the influence of thespring thereby causing the spring arms 53 to move in an arcuate path.

In order to facilitate the introduction of pellets 28 into the magazine2 through the opening 26, the slot 3% adjacent the end of the magazinenear the opening 26 is provided with an offset'porticn 92 (see Figure 4)in which the end 32 of the spring arm 3 5 is received and retained whilethe pellets 23 are being passed through the opening 26.

In use it will be understood that upon turning movement of the arms Thethe crossed handle 52 in a clockwise direction, the shaft 42 will berotated within the drum 44 to wind and energize the spring 46. Duringthe winding operation the brake shoe 8% remains in contact with thebrake drum 66 so as to prevent rotation of the pinion 62 and gear 5 3.With the end 32 of the spring arm 34 hooked in the notch 92 of the slot30, pellets 28 may be introduced into the magazine 20 through theopening 26. When a, sufficient number of pellets 28 have been introducedinto the magazine 20, the end 32 of the spring arm 34 is disengaged fromthe notch 92 and it will move under the influence of the spring 36through the slot iii! to urge the pellets 28 toward the opening 24 inthe tubular body 22, thus moving a pellet 23 into the barrel it where itmay be engaged by a spring arm 58 passing through the slot 18. Upongripping the pistol grip I4 and exerting pull on the trigger 88, thebrake shoe 86 will be moved against the effort of the spring 3!) todisengage the brake 8G and thus permit the spring it to rotate the drumid, gear 54 and gear 52. With the rotation of the gear :l, the hub 59will move the striker arms 58 in a circular path which, as previouslystated, is intercepted by the brake drum {it so that as the arms 53successively contact the brake drum, they will be flexed so as to causethem to move with great velocity through the slot i8 and strike thepellets fed thereinto in succession and cause them to be propelledthrough the barrel [6, thus simulating the firing of a rapid fire ormachine gun. Upon releasing pressure on the trigger 88, it will beevident that the spring 8G will return the brake shoe 6% into engagementwith the brake drum es and hence arrest rotation of the pinion '62 so asto arrest the motion of the drum id and arms 58. Obviously during therotation of the pinion 62 and brake drum h s under the influence of thespring the shoe i2 will be forced through centrifugal action against theinner surface of the drum it so as to provide a governor which willretard the speed of operation of the device.

While in the foregoing there has been shown and described the preferredform of this inven tion, it is to be understood that minor changes inthe details of construction, combination and arrangement of parts may beresorted to without departing from the spirit and scope of the inventionas claimed.

I claim:

1. In a toy gun an elongated tubular barrel, an annular tubular magazineopening into the barrel at one end thereof, means in said magazine forengaging projectiles contained therein and introducing them insuccession into the barrel, a group of radial spring striker armsmounted to rotate about a common axis and to successively enter thebarrel behind projectiles introduced thereinto for striking saidprojectiles and propelling them through the barrel, means for rotatingsaid spring arms, a friction clutch trigger release means for holdingsaid spring arm rotating means against rotation, said trigger releasemeans being located in the path of rotation of said spring arms forengagement by and for retarding said arms to flex the arms prior totheir entry into the barrel whereby a projectile entering said barrelwill be forcibly struck by a spring arm, and said trigger release meansincluding a rotatable part engaged by the arm and turnable to facilitatepassage of the arm. I

2. In a toy gun of the type having an elongated tubular barrel, meansadjacent one end of said barrel for entering said barrel and forciblypropelling a projectile therethrough, means for introducing projectilesin succession into said barrel in advance of said propelling meanscomprising, an annular tubular magazine opening at one end into thebarrel adjacent the propelling means, said magazine having a pelletreceiving opening extending therethrough adjacent the end thereof remotefrom the end which opens into the barrel, said magazine having a slot inthe inner side thereof extending from the end thereof adjacent thebarrel to the opposite end thereof, a coil spring mounted at the annularaxis of said magazine, and an arm extending from an end of the springthrough said slot for rotation around said axis to engage projectilescontained in said magazine and propel them toward the barrel.

3. In a toy gun of the type having an elongated tubular barrel, meansadjacent one end of said barrel for entering said barrel and forciblypropelling a projectile therethrough, means for introducing projectilesin succession into said barrel in advance of said propelling meanscomprising, an annular tubular magazine opening at one end into thebarrel adjacent the propelling means, said magazine having a projectilereceiving opening extending therethrough adjacent the end thereof remotefrom the end which opens into the barrel, said magazine having a slot inthe inner side thereof extending from the end thereof adjacent thebarrel to the opposite end thereof, a coil spring mounted at the annularaxis of said magazine, an arm extending from an end of the springthrough said slot for rotation around said axis to engage projectilescontained in said magazine and propel them toward the barrel, and meanscarried by said magazine adjacent the end thereof having the projectilereceiving opening for engaging said spring and holding it out ofengagement with projectiles entered into the magazine.

4. In a toy gun an elongated tubular barrel having a longitudinal slotentering one end thereof, means for feeding projectiles into said barrelthrough the slotted end thereof, a rotary spring loaded drum carried bythe barrel adjacent to its slotted end, spring arms carried by andradial to the axis of the drum for entering the barrel through the slotand engaging the projectiles as they are introduced into the barrel, atrigger released friction brake mounted adjacent the drum and havingoperative connection with said drum for arresting rotation thereof, andsaid brake being located in the path of movement of said spring arms tobe engaged by the arms to retard and flex the same prior to theirentrance into the barrel whereby they will forcibly strike theprojectiles and propel them through the barrel.

5. The invention according to claim 4, wherein said friction brakecomprises a drum supported for rotation on an axis parallel to thespring loaded drum axis, said operative connection comprising meshedgears carried by the two drums, the brake further including a springpressed element having frictional engagement with the second mentioneddrum, which element is shifted from the engaged drum upon the pressingof the trigger.

6. A toy gun for discharging spherical projectiles, comprising anelongated, tubular barrel, a housing supporting the same, a horizontallydisposed tubular magazine annulus having an end leading into the breechend of the barrel, the annulus having a second end and a projectileadmission opening therein, a rotary spring loaded drum mounted in thehousing beneath the barrel to turn on an axis disposed perpendicular tothe barrel, the breech end of the barrel having a longitudinal slotopening downwardly into the housing, a plurality of spring striker armsconnected with the drum to turn therewith and extending radially of thedrum axis in position to have their outer ends enter said barrel slot,means for feeding the projectiles from the magazine into the barrel tobe struck by an arm entering the slot, a second drum rotatably supportedin the housing to turn on an axis paralleling the first drum axis, adriving coupling between the drums, the second drum being in the path ofmovement of the arms for effecting the retarding and flexing of the armswhereby the same will, when released from the second drum, enter thebarrel slot with force, a spring pressed member frictionally engagingthe second drum to hold the drums against rotation by the spring, and atrigger connected with said spring pressed member for disengaging. itfrom the second drum.

7. The invention according to claim 6, wherein the second drum has anend disposed adjacent to a wall of the housing, a brake drum secured tothe said wall of the housing concentric with the end of the second drum,and a friction shoe carried by the said end of the second drum anddisposed within the brake drum, the friction shoe having free swingingmovement whereby it may be projected radially outwardly with respect tothe adjacent drum for frictional contact with the brake drum.

8. In a toy gun, an elongated tubular barrel, a projectile magazineopening into the barrel at one end thereof, means in the magazine forengaging projectiles therein and introducing projectiles in successioninto the barrel, a plurality of spring arms mounted for rotation aboutand radiating from a common axis adjacent to the junction of the barreland the magazine, said spring arms when rotated about said axis enteringsuccessively into the barrel behind projectiles introduced thereinto,means for rotating said arms about said axis, a rotatable triggerreleased member operatively connected to and rotatably driven by saidarm rotating means, said trigger released member lying in the path ofrotation of said arms for engagement successively by the free ends ofthe arms to momentarily check the movement of the arms and cause thearms to flex prior to their entrance into the barrel, whereby said endsof the arms will forcibly strike projectiles entering the barrel andpropel the projectiles through the barrel, said rotatable member beingrotatably driven by said arm rotating means in a direction to assist thearms in their turning movement as they engage the member.

CLARENCE A. BOOK.

REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file ofthis patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,834,395 Gavlak Dec. 1, 19311,860,611 De Minno et al May 31, 1932 1,867,513 Lahti July 12, 19322,295,225. Lohr et a1. Sept. 8, 1942

